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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25249945">The Hand of a Prince</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroInterest/pseuds/ZeroInterest'>ZeroInterest</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Two Princes (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Rupert is a smart boy, The Hollow - Freeform, The one in which the prophecy can't be broken with just a kiss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:20:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25249945</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroInterest/pseuds/ZeroInterest</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Elope,” Rupert whispered, an inkling of an idea starting to take form in his mind.</p><p>“Sorry, what?” asked Amir, confusion clear on his face. “Did you say ‘elope’?”</p><p>Rupert looked up at Amir again, not sure when he had looked away in the first place. A crazy, yet brilliant plan being puzzled together in his head. He couldn’t help the grin splitting his face, although if it looked as maniacal as it felt he should probably try harder, so as not to scare the other away. “I figured it out,” he said, taking a step back.</p><p>“I figured it out!” he proclaimed, louder this time, turning to face the Kings. “Elope. That’s what I’ll do. Well, not exactly but –“ he turned back to face Amir. “– but it is and I figured it out and it was so simple!”</p><p>“Fitz – Rupert – honey, what?” was all Amir could get out. He looked genuinely flabbergasted at this point and his grip on Rupert’s hand had tightened. “What are you talking about? You’ve completely lost me.”</p><p>"Will you marry me?"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Prince Amir/Prince Rupert (Two Princes Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>147</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Hand of a Prince</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The first time I listened to the Hollow scene I was sure Rupert was going to figure out the true meaning of the prophecy what with all the talk of marriage in the series as a whole and especially after that conversation between the Queens and Kings. This is my take on what that would look like.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Rupert approached the Hollow his mind was still working to rewrite the prophecy, trying desperately to find even an ounce of a loophole.</p><p>
  <em>When Two Princes meet in the Hollow</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Upon their 18th year</em>
  <br/>
  <em>One Kingdom will then Rise</em>
  <br/>
  <em>and all of the Curse will be Broken.</em>
</p><p>Ever since he’d heard the prophecy it had been mulling about in the back of his head. He’d spun it this way and that, attempting to make it mean something else. “All of the Curse? What does that even mean?” he mumbled. Amir looked over at him, his brow furrowed and eyes inquisitive, but he abstained from voicing any questions he had, instead turning his eyes forward and continuing his trek.</p><p>Arachne had said the forest might have peace if no more blood were spilled and – although it was most likely just a way of rationalizing eating him – it was a good point, Rupert mused. The forest had been born from violence, so why would it curse them to fight? Was it supposed to be a punishment for the Kings, to watch their sons die? But then why would the survivor be rewarded? It made no sense for the curse to be broken by that which gave rise to it. Arachne’s suggestion almost seemed more likely – a prophecy which foretold the death of one of the kingdoms at the hands of the forest – it was way more in line with the nature of the curse. Come to think of it, the prophecy never actually specified who was going to do the killing.</p><p>“Great, so we may not have to fight to the death but only because something else is going to try to kill us?” he muttered, glancing over at Amir, who was walking several paces ahead with his sword raised. Rupert shook his head. Maybe rising meant something else? Maybe one kingdom would rise above the need for bloodshed? “But what does that mean? If Amir tries to kill me, does the curse then kill him? But if I fight back then neither kingdom will truly have risen above violence…”</p><p>“What are you mumbling about back there?” Amir called over his shoulder. “And stop lagging, I think I see the Hollow!”</p><p>“Coming!” Rupert called back, picking up his pace. If the price to pay was either his life or Amir’s, he’d rather fight and lose than let the curse take Amir for doing what he had spent his entire life training for. At least he knew that death at Amir’s hands would be quick and painless, unlike whatever the forest may have in store for them.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>It hadn’t worked, none of it had. Their fathers had revealed the terrible truth that breaking the curse meant putting either the King of the West or the King of the East in charge of their kingdoms. Their mothers’ plan of poisoning the accursed forest had backfired too and now they were being held captive, an incentive for Rupert and Amir to fight.</p><p>It had almost seemed as though they had the upper hand when Queen Lavinia and Queen Atossa had stormed in and started berating their husbands. They had looked so strong then, standing up to the men who had valued war and power over their people and their wives and who were continuing to value victory over the lives of their sons.</p><p>Seeing Amir’s mother spit that she had been a naïve fool to marry his father and witnessing his mother’s subsequent rant about how she had held a crumbling kingdom together for the last eighteen years had made Rupert feel like maybe there was another way. He had thought that if their fathers were defeated then maybe he and Amir would be able to break the curse some other way. Or maybe they could ally to fight back the forest. For that short while he had felt like, together, they could make it work.</p><p>That, of course, was nothing but wishful thinking. Now here he was, facing Amir with his sword raised and with the desperate cries of his mother still echoing in his ears, begging him not to succumb to this. Amir stared back at Rupert with a look of resignation, but his eyes quickly pulled away, as if he couldn’t bear to look straight at him. The King of the East announced the start of the battle and with the first loud clash of blades Rupert steeled himself for what he knew was to come.</p><p>After several traded blows and a lot of unwelcome commentating from the monsters who would call themselves Kings Rupert began to grow impatient. He knew Amir had far more skill than this, had seen him fight more fervently to save Rupert even after he’d admitted to his lies and betrayed Amir’s trust.</p><p>“Stop taking it easy on me!”</p><p>“I’m not, I’m just getting warmed up,” Amir retorted, a defensive note in his voice. “You stop taking it easy on me!”</p><p>“I’m not, I’m just bad with a sword.”</p><p>Their sparring resumed and Amir’s swings, though still lacklustre, had gained some focus. Coupled with Rupert’s inexperience he quickly gained the upper hand and drove Rupert into a corner. The King of the East’s voice grated at Rupert’s ears as Amir advanced on him, the glee with which he goaded his son to do harm spine-chilling. With one final strike Amir sent Rupert’s sword flying and a sudden awareness of how truly powerless he was washed over the young and sheltered Prince of the West. He had known it would end this way, he had prepared himself for it and yet Rupert could do nothing to stop the trembling of his hands.</p><p>He was Prince Rupert, a boy just barely old enough to be considered a man and a boy who until that week had never done anything thrilling or death-defying in his life. His main skills lay in dancing at fancy parties and playing with his dog, not in combat or high-stakes political conflict. Earlier that same week his biggest concern had been his mother trying to forcefully marry him off to some noble lady or another, for crying out loud!</p><p>“I’m sorry, Rupert, I’m so sorry,” Amir said, his voice breathy from the effort of the fight. He was hanging his head and his gaze never seemed to quite meet Rupert’s.</p><p>“I know, it’s okay. I understand,” Rupert replied. He did understand. He had accepted this already and no amount of fear would stop him from facing his fate. Off to the side he heard his father shouting again but he couldn’t make out the words. He had been blocking the Kings out to his best ability before but now he didn’t think he could pull his focus from Amir and the sword in his hand if he wanted to. He did vaguely register that his father must be very angry with him for losing so quickly, for not putting up more of a fight.</p><p>Amir took a step closer, lowering his sword as he did. His face was blank in the way of someone who’s trying very hard not to break down. “You can go get your sword,” he said, glancing over to where it had fallen, several paces away. “We’ll keep fighting.”</p><p>“No.” Rupert had made his mind up. He wouldn’t fight this any longer. He had not been raised for combat, had not been trained to wield a blade or take a life and he refused to die in battle with the one who had so quickly won his heart.</p><p>“What are you doing? If you surrender, I still have to kill you!” Amir’s voice was hushed with poorly hidden fear and desperation. He looked almost as if he wanted to shake some sense into Rupert, to force him to think clearly.</p><p>“I know,” Rupert replied, his tone almost pleading. Didn’t Amir understand that he didn’t want to fight anymore?</p><p>“Then get up –” Amir tried again, only to be cut off by Rupert once more refusing adamantly.</p><p>“No!”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“We both know there’s only one way this fight is going to end,” Rupert stated with confidence he wasn’t sure he truly had. “After all, you’ve been training for this your entire life.”</p><p>Amir looked as if he wanted to say something, sword once again lowered to his side and one hand starting to reach toward Rupert. He opened his mouth but seemed not to be able to form any words. After a moment of silence between the two Rupert spoke again. “Besides, I don’t want to spend the last few minutes of my life fighting. Not with you.”</p><p>Amir took another step closer, hand reaching forward but not yet touching Rupert. His face was drawn but his eyes were open and glossy, a beseeching look aimed at the other. “Rupert, please! If you don’t get up, I’m gonna have to kill you.”</p><p>“I know,” Rupert hurried to reply, not able to avert his gaze. He drew his shoulders up and put all his conviction into his eyes and his voice, hoping Amir would understand. “And that’s okay.”</p><p>Suddenly a floodgate of words came spilling out of Rupert, all the feelings he had locked up inside bursting up to the surface. All the praises he’d wished to lavish Amir with, all the excitement and wonder of their time together and all the ways he knew Amir would be a great king to his people were bubbling out of his mouth in a cascade of words and emotions. All the things he hadn’t been able to say the past few days were falling past his lips until he finally arrived at “– I love you.”</p><p>“You do?” Amir, who had not moved during Rupert’s impassioned speech, drew closer, his eyes soft and voice filled with wonder.</p><p>“Yeah,” Rupert replied. “I hope that’s okay.”</p><p>“Okay?” Amir drew back once more, sounding nearly affronted. He dropped his sword and kneeled in front of Rupert, extending both arms toward the other. He spoke again, his voice fraught with emotion and tears welling up in his eyes. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? Don’t you know I love you too?” And with those words he pulled Rupert into a kiss.</p><p>Rupert could vaguely hear his father and Amir’s shouting in the background but for a moment all he cared about was the wonderful, beautiful, brave, kind and so blessedly warm boy who was holding him close and whose lips were pressed firmly against his own. He felt a heat rising in his chest and in his cheeks and could not help pulling the other closer, wrapping his arms firmly around Amir’s neck. For a moment the two boys stayed that way, holding each other and assuring themselves that they were still there, still alive.</p><p>“Now I really can’t kill you,” Amir mumbled softly into Rupert’s hair. He drew a long shuddering breath and raised himself onto his haunches, pulling slightly away from Rupert’s embrace to look him in the eye.</p><p>“I don’t think I ever could,” Rupert replied, a sad smile pulling at the corners of his lips. It fell quickly, though, as Rupert could no longer ignore the shouting of the Kings, their berating gaining in volume and vitriol.</p><p>“You let go of that filthy boy right now, Rupert or so help me his will not be the only hide you’ll need to worry about tonight!” the King of the West bellowed. “Once this curse is broken, I’ll flay you myself! And have you forgotten about your poor mother already? Oh, her delicate sensibilities; if she were conscious right now, she’d be having a heart attack!”</p><p>Rupert turned to face his father, Amir’s hand dropping from its place on his back to grasp his hand. He took a deep breath, squeezing Amir’s hand and taking comfort in the way Amir squeezed back, and pulled himself up, squaring his shoulders and setting his jaw. Looking straight at the twisted form of his father he spoke, no tremor remaining in his voice.</p><p>“I won’t fight Amir and I won’t let either of you be King. We’ll find a different way to break this curse. I’ll –“ he hesitated, not sure what he could do. He looked back at Amir and suddenly a thought occurred to him. The prophecy never actually said anyone had to die.</p><p>“– I’ll abdicate my claim to the throne. Amir will become the heir to the West and ‘one kingdom will rise’, just like the prophecy says!” Rupert exclaimed, glancing back at Amir again to gauge his reaction. Amir’s brow furrowed in thought and he opened his mouth but didn’t get the chance to speak as his father let out a loud laugh.</p><p>“You’ll abdicate the throne?” the King of the East asked, the laughter still evident in his voice. “He’s not even a citizen of your country, much less a part of your court! The idea’s preposterous! Even if it were somehow legal, imagine the fallout of that kind of a coup. To try to sway the natural succession, it’d be a political nightmare!”</p><p>Rupert hesitated. He knew the strict laws that were set upon the royal succession. Only members of the royal family, their spouses and those with sufficient royal blood – such as having an uncle in the royal family – had any claim to the throne. If Rupert tried to abdicate the throne there would be hundreds of others who would try to claim it and who would fight to get rid of Amir.</p><p>“Give it up, son,” the King of the West hissed. “You know as well as we that this little farce has gone far enough. Now, either finish what you two started or dear old mommy gets it!” He tightened his grip on the unconscious Queen Lavinia, causing her to wake with a start. She screamed and attempted to struggle but was quickly shut up when he tightened his grip further, beginning to cut off her air supply.</p><p>“Mom!” Rupert shouted, reaching toward her. “Dad, stop it, you’re hurting her!”</p><p>“Tick tock, Rupert.”</p><p>“Rupert,” Amir called, pulling him away from his mother and into his arms. “It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay, we’ll figure something out.” It was clear he didn’t really believe it himself from the faltering in his words and the strained smile on his lips, but he soldiered on. “I know you can do it. You’re so smart and you figured out there had to be another way, one the rest of us couldn’t see because we always assumed we knew what the prophecy meant.”</p><p>Rupert looked up into Amir’s eyes and although his expression was strained it was obvious that what he had said was true. There was a love shining through the fear and the doubt, a love that made Rupert want to make good on his suggestion from earlier and run away from all of this with Amir. A love that made him want the stupid clichéd ending of ‘star-crossed lovers elope together and live the rest of their lives on a far-away farm’. The forest would most likely cut that fantasy short, but for a moment he could clearly see in his mind’s eye a domestic view of a cottage with Amir and himself sat snuggling by a fireplace after a hard-day’s work.</p><p>“Elope,” Rupert whispered, an inkling of an idea starting to take form in his mind.</p><p>“Sorry, what?” asked Amir, confusion clear on his face. “Did you say ‘elope’?”</p><p>Rupert looked up at Amir again, not sure when he had looked away in the first place. A crazy, yet brilliant plan being puzzled together in his head. He couldn’t help the grin splitting his face, although if it looked as maniacal as it felt he should probably try harder, so as not to scare the other away. “I figured it out,” he said, taking a step back.</p><p>“I figured it out!” he proclaimed, louder this time, turning to face the Kings. “Elope. That’s what I’ll do. Well, not exactly but –“ he turned back to face Amir. “– but it is and I figured it out and it was so simple!”</p><p>“Fitz – Rupert – honey, what?” was all Amir could get out. He looked genuinely flabbergasted at this point and his grip on Rupert’s hand had tightened. “What are you talking about? You’ve completely lost me.”</p><p>“No, Amir, you don’t get it I figured it out. I –“ Rupert cut himself off, throwing himself to his knees and clutching Amir’s hand between both of his own. He stared up at Amir, face still split into an enormous smile, which probably was showing too much of his teeth to accurately communicate the joy and relief he suddenly felt. He took a deep breath and before Amir had the time to react to his sudden movement, he opened his mouth.</p><p>“Will you marry me?”</p><p>There was resounding silence following those words, broken only by the thump of Lavinia’s once-more unconscious body hitting the ground, as the King of the West dropped her in shock.</p><p>“I… No – Yes? I mean… what?” Amir asked, his face distorted in confusion and surprise. “Isn’t that a bit hasty? I mean we only just kissed and – and what does that have to do with breaking the curse? And aren’t we a bit young?” He was rambling now, obviously shaken by the question. He kept stuttering but seemed to have lost track of his words. Before he could get much further Rupert reached up with one hand to stroke his cheek.</p><p>“No, Amir, don’t you see?” he exclaimed. “If we get married then we win! One kingdom will rise, our kingdom!”</p><p>“This is preposterous! A farce!” the King of the West shouted, the King of the East not far behind.</p><p>“It’s an affront is what it is!” he exclaimed. “No son of mine is marrying a boy, much less the wretched princeling of the West!”</p><p>Before they could get much further, they were interrupted by a creaking which seemed to be coming from everywhere at once as well as from the very depths of the earth itself. All around them vines were pulling away, curling up and vanishing into the ground beneath them, giving way to the greying sky of early morning. The trunks of the Kings’ bodies were twisting too, down into the ground.</p><p>“What’s happening?” exclaimed the King of the East, his voice distorted and crackling.</p><p>“It’s the curse!” replied the King of the West, the panic in his voice clear even through the groaning that now seemed to be emanating from his body. “It’s lifting!”</p><p>As the vines that made up the Hollow and the trees beyond it continued to swirl and sway and roll their way back into the ground the Kings took notice of that they, too, were being sucked down into the cool earth below. They screamed and argued and shouted and plead to their sons to do something, but after only a short few minutes the Hollow was gone and no trace remained of the twisted, rotten trees which had given rise to it all.</p><p>“Amir, look,” Rupert said, breathlessly smiling at the man he was now determined to marry. “The vines, they’re gone!”</p><p>“Thank goodness,” Queen Atossa grumbled, pulling herself up off the ground. “I can finally breathe properly.”</p><p>“Mother!” Amir exclaimed, running over to help steady her. “Are you hurt?”</p><p>“No, my son.” The Queen smiled, bringing a hand to cup her son’s cheek. “I’m fine. You did it. I’m so proud of you.”</p><p>Amir smiled back, his eyes beginning to fill with the tears he had fought so hard not to shed earlier. Finally, he let himself break down over the fear of losing his mother, and with her there to catch him in her embrace he knew they would be alright.</p><p>Queen Lavinia was still out cold on the ground, so Rupert hurried to sit by her side, grasping her hand and shaking her shoulder lightly. “Mom,” he called, gently. “Mom, it’s over, please wake up.”</p><p>With a groan Lavinia pulled herself up to a sitting position and looked around. “Where… Where are we?” she asked, rubbing the back of her head. “What happened?”</p><p>Rupert averted his gaze, not sure how to approach the matter of having proposed to Amir, especially since he had fought so vehemently not to be wed a mere handful of days ago. Choosing to focus on the immediate he gestured to the rapidly retreating trees around them and explained that they had won, that the curse was broken and that the forest was leaving.</p><p>“Wh– but how?” Lavinia asked, her eyes wide as saucers. “What happened? And where’s my maniac of a husband?” Her expression turned suddenly horrified. “Don’t tell me that you–“</p><p>“I didn’t,” Rupert cut her off. “Amir is fine and the Kings are gone. They vanished with the rest of the Hollow.”</p><p>Lavinia looked around, now spotting Amir and Atossa. The former was curled up in his mother’s lap crying heavily. Whether they be tears of joy, exhaustion, belated fear, grief or any combination of the heavy emotions of that night she could not tell, but the way the other Queen was stroking his hair seemed to say it would all be alright.</p><p>She looked back to her own son and decided that for right now, the fact that they were all alive was what mattered the most. She pulled Rupert down into her arms and stroked his back.</p><p>“Thank you, Rupert,” she whispered into his hair, placing a soft kiss on the top of his head. “I’m so proud of you, and I’m sorry that I kept your destiny from you.”</p><p>“It’s alright mom,” Rupert replied, putting his arms around her. “If I had grown up with the prophecy I’m not sure if we could have broken the curse. In a way you trying to keep me from this is what made it work out in the end.”</p><p>“Still, it wasn’t right of me to hide our history from you. You deserved to know the truth and you deserved to live your life the way you wanted.” Lavinia sighed. “I even tried to force you into marrying so young, I’m sorry about that too.”</p><p>At her words Rupert stiffened in her arms. He tried to play it off but his mother knew him too well and he soon found himself at the end of a very pointed stare. He chuckled nervously and bit his cheek, catching Amir’s eye over his mother’s shoulder. Amir simply smiled a cheeky smile at him and with that Rupert knew he was on his own for this one.</p><p>“Yeah, about that…”</p>
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